Winter storm watch issued for central and eastern Fraser Valley

A winter storm watch was issued Wednesday afternoon for the central and eastern Fraser Valley including Chilliwack and Hope.

“Persons in or near this area should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take necessary safety precautions,” according to Environment Canada.

While the skies were calm and the temperature at approximately 7 C in Chilliwack at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the forecast to drop to just above freezing level along with predicted precipitation means things could get messy, particularly at elevation.

Earlier in the day, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt and Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton via Allison Pass.

• READ MORE: Environment Canada issues weather alert for highways

An expected five to 15 centimetres of snow by Thursday night could taper to flurries by the evening.

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Snowfall warnings may be issued for these regions later today once computer models come to a consensus on the track of the system.